Kodaka Hasegawa
Character Overview Kodaka Hasegawa (羽瀬川 小鷹, Hasegawa Kodaka) is the main protagonist of Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai. He is the second member and co-founder of the Neighbors' club. He was notorious for being a delinquent and bullying many of his peers. However, such claims are false and the reason why he has such a bad reputation is due to his hair; he is actually a very soft-spoken and polite individual. Appearance Kodaka is half-British as evidenced by his dirty-blond hair - his most distinct feature - which he inherited from his late mother. Meanwhile, his face is that of his father's, masking his foreign lineage and being mistakenly identified as somewhat intimidating and unapproachable. Kodaka's eye color is dark-gray. Due to his appearance, Kodaka would often create an angry or scary face, sometimes unintentionally, that would make the students around him scatter away whenever he wants to explain something or when he tries to act nice to another student. Kodaka is also well aware of this, and will even exploit this when needed. Kodaka's most frequent outfit is his school uniform and only to him, prefers to roll up his pants. When not in school, Kodaka would dress more casually, usually a T-shirt and medium length pants. Throughout the series, Kodaka is seen constantly wearing a necklace around his neck. Personality ]] Despite his looks, Kodaka is actually a calm and collected individual who is soft-spoken and kind-hearted. Kodaka would have initially called Yozora and Sena by their last names if not for the two demanding him to call them by their first names instantly. Kodaka would remain calm even when provoked or angry and is one of the few among his club members who is still trying to get friends. Kodaka is always depicted to be somewhat "dense" at the feelings being expressed by most female characters towards him. But in reality, Kodaka is well aware of this, but only pretends that he does not know since he doesn't want anything to change from the relationship between him and his club-mates (though Rika sees through most of Kodaka's feelings). Suffice it to say, Kodaka is very observant yet careful at the same time. Kodaka's desire to find friends is very huge. An example is when Sena hands the Tokimeki Memorial based game to him, and he spends the entire playthrough hanging out with the supporting male character (who's also the childhood friend) rather than talking to the girls and is completely satisfied with the bad end that results because it means he still has that friend. Kodaka is hot and cold when it comes to his club-mates, as he endeavors to maintain good relations between all while dismissing their romantic feelings for him. For example, he repeatedly invites the other club members to "group" outings when asked by more than one for a one-on-one "date," much to their dismay. Later in the anime, Kodaka will sometimes say out loud something seemingly meant only as an internal monologue that is very flattering to one of his club-mates, such as when he compared Rika to "a single wildflower, blooming on a hill." While it's most probable that these feelings are genuine, it's also likely that he only pretends to say them on accident so that he can avoid taking responsibility for the sentiment expressed. Kodaka has a great amount of patience as he doesn't allow rage to get the best of him whenever someone badmouths or insults him. He also scolds someone whenever it is most needed as shown when Kodaka reprimands Sena for being to arrogant despite after being bullied by several men and also pins the blame on them. During this time, it is also shown that Kodaka sometimes relies on his misguided appearance to protect others by either threatening or scaring the perpetrators as he does not favor violence to sort out conflicts; Kodaka values peace and tranquility. Whenever someone recognizes Kodaka more as person rather than a delinquent, he acts respectfully towards them for respecting him; in the case of Yukimura, Aoi, and Hinata. Kodaka also has a sense of humor that only he can comprehend as he does tell jokes and made-up stories with confidence, being able to share it proudly with his fellow club members which they don't find humorous or even amusing (except for Maria). His confidence towards his humor never wavered despite his club-mates' exquisite reaction towards it as shown when the club was discussing for their plans in their school's cultural festival. When Yozora erased comedy show ''as a proposal for their role in the cultural festival, Kodaka protested, while the others remarked that it was a good move, much to Kodaka's dismay. In the Light Novels, his reactions are more low-key and he has a tendency to snark. After "befriending" Rika, Kodaka no longer feign ignorance to the feelings expressed by others towards him. As a result, Kodaka acknowledges these feelings from his club-mates though he still does exert some amount of effort into it, resulting to embarrassment. Still, Kodaka is careful with the words he chooses in complying with these feelings expressed towards him. Kodaka also enjoys reading Shonen manga. Abilities Intelligence Although he is not as academically strong as Yozora or Sena, Kodaka's grades are actually above-average, with English being one of his best subjects (justified, considering he is half-British). He is considered to be the sole voice of reason in the club and often tries to talk sense into his fellow club members. Kodaka is not quite familiar with technology, a prime example being that he (along with Yozora) was completely unaware of his own cell phone's infrared capabilities. He also claims that he is not into using computers, nor does he understand the ins and outs of console gaming, as he frequently loses to his opponents. It is revealed in the anime that Kodaka is actually not as romantically dense as shown. He pretends to misinterpret things or that he just never heard what the person had said to avoid any awkwardness rising within the club. He is aware of the growing affections of the girls around him, but to keep the Neighbor's Club together, he pretends that he doesn't notice anything. Kodaka is also a quick thinker capable of reasoning with anyone in order to avoid worsening the situation. Even so, Rika is the one who has seen through all of Kodaka's reasoning. Physical Prowess Due to his hair, Kodaka was often subjugated to bad rumors and bullying when he was young. As such, he has developed a strong body. In the light novels, he states that he is able to handle multiple attackers at once. Despite this, Kodaka only fights when he has to and would rather find a more peaceful solution, if at all possible. Kodaka was also strong enough to hold multiple bags of items and walk long distances while showing little fatigue. Domestic Abilities Due to both of his parents being perpetually (for all intents and purposes) absent, Kodaka has become a parental figure in his house, being able to cook meals, clean and generally perform many domestic chores. Kodaka particularly enjoys cooking. He is able to to cook rather delicious and non-traditional dishes, such as paella. However this hobby can be too engrossed, as shown when he went to a supermarket and was staring at the cooking pans and knives. Other Abilities Kodaka is a good swimmer (although he is not as good as Kobato). However, he is good enough to teach Sena how to swim. Kodaka also proclaimed that he can tell funny jokes or scary stories, but other than Maria, most of the others do not share that view. In the anime, it is revealed that Kodaka is also able to fish. Trivia * Kodaka and Kobato's surname, Hasegawa (羽瀬川) literally means "Shallow River of Feathers" * Kodaka's name in Japanese (小鷹), means "Little Hawk" * It was hinted in the Light Novels that Kodaka may be pretending to be dense towards the girls' romantic advances since Kodaka has always pointed out what some of the girl's quotes that he himself said he did not hear but yet the Light Novel was narrated from his point of view. * Kodaka has stated in the Light Novels that he is scared of change and has been ignoring and deceiving himself to prevent it, as pointed out by Rika.LN Vol. 7, ch. 17 * For a moment at the start of the series, Kodaka thinks he might be the hero in a supernatural Shōnen Genre show.LN Vol. 1, ch. 2 * Kodaka's first friend and best friend was Yozora.LN Vol. 3, ch. 14 * In season 2 of the anime, Kodaka's hair color lightens.Season 2, episode 1 * Kodaka has seen most of the female characters naked, including Kobato, Sena, Yukimura, Yozora, Rika, Maria, Kate & the student council members. **Kodaka has seen Sena naked twice.LN Vol. 3, ch. 10,11 * Apart from his fellow club members, those who never mistook Kodaka as a delinquent were Aoi Yusa and Hinata Hidaka, both being members of their school's Student Council. * Kodaka has a habit of patting someone on the head, whether it's an act of gratitude, cheering someone up, or simply to calm someone down. * Kodaka is the tallest member (172 cm) of the Neighbor's Club.“Haganai” Bases Importance On Height. Seventh Style. February 12, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2014 * Kodaka is a fan of the manga adaptation of the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" series, where his favorite commanders are Zhang Liao and Wei Yan.LN Vol. 2, ch. 5 Quotes * ''"Eh? What'd you say?" (probably Kodaka's catchphrase) * "――――Sora?" (Kodaka discovering Yozora's true identity, in Volume 3) * "I absolutely cannot let her finish that sentence. If she did, I'd, we'd... have no choice but to move on. And moving on... means changing. That is an incredibly scary thing. It's truly terrifying, like moving from a bright, warm room into a world of darkness that leaves you completely blind. It's not just me either. I'm sure it's the same for Yozora, Sena, Yukimura, and Rika too. Those words are ones that could bring about an irreversible change that would shake the Neighbors Club itself. That change would truly be irreversible—— it can't even be compared to trivial problems like a memory from 10 years ago, or a prearranged marriage." (Kodaka showing his fear of change, in Volume 6) * "...But I knew what those words lost in the wind really were. I'd known what they were for a long, long time now." (Kodaka knowing all along the true relationship between the members of the Neighbors Club, in Volume 7) * "Looks like our sad youth has yet to end" (The ending line of NEXT) References Category:Protagonist Category:Kodaka Category:Neighbor's Club Members Category:Males